The big November sales in Geneva still set the tone for the fall, but October is when collectors actually start spending. Three watch auctions closing in October 2026 show how spread out that spending has become: a timed online sale in Paris, an online sale in New York, and a Sunday-morning room sale in New York, each with at least one watch that can carry a catalogue on its own.
Three watch auctions close in October 2026: Sotheby's Paris Fine Watches from October 7, with a Paul Newman Daytona Ref. 6241 at €120,000–260,000; Bonhams New York Watches from October 8, led by a Moser Pioneer Tourbillon “Miami”; and Antiquorum New York on October 18, with nine F.P. Journes.
None of them is Phillips, whose online New York Sessions we have already covered lot by lot, and all three sit around the bigger calendar laid out in our fall auction preview. Think of these as the season’s side doors. They are often where the more interesting buying happens.
Sotheby’s closes first. Its Fine Watches sale in Paris is a timed online auction of 110 lots, open for bidding since September 23, with estimates in euros. Lots begin closing on Wednesday, October 7, at 8 AM ET (2 PM in Paris), one minute apart, and Sotheby’s notes that closing times can change.
The lot doing the heavy lifting is number 368, a Rolex Daytona “Paul Newman†Ref. 6241 from circa 1968, consigned by the family of its original owner. Sotheby’s describes its dial as a “black-on-black†configuration, under the black acrylic bezel that set the 6241 apart from the steel-bezel 6239 when it arrived in the mid-1960s. Inside is the manual-winding calibre 722-1. The 36mm steel case sits on a Rolex Oyster bracelet, and the watch comes with its box, papers, Rolex guarantee card, and presentation case.
Sotheby’s catalogue note recalls that the 6239 and 6241 were “initially overlooked†before becoming icons of vintage Rolex, and that “Paul Newman†examples such as this one “are among the most striking and sought-after variations.†The estimate is €120,000–260,000, and the lot is scheduled to close at 8:18 AM ET. A complete set from the original owner’s family is a rarer story than the dial itself, and in our view that is what makes this the Paul Newman Daytona auction worth watching this month.
One minute earlier, at 8:17 AM ET, lot 367 closes: a platinum F.P. Journe Centigraphe Souverain from circa 2014. The 40mm case has a silvered dial and the hand-wound calibre 1506, which times events from a hundredth of a second up to 10 minutes. It is offered with its box, papers, warranty card, and original invoice, and is estimated at €150,000–300,000.
By Friday morning, October 2, both lots had already passed their low estimates online, with the reserve met on each. The Paris preview at Sotheby’s runs through Monday, October 5. Remaining hours are 10 AM to 6 PM on October 2 and 5, 11 AM to 6 PM on Saturday, and 2 PM to 6 PM on Sunday, all Paris time.
Bonhams follows a day later in New York. Its New York Watches sale is online only, with 138 lots, and has been open for bidding since September 28. Lots begin to end on Thursday, October 8, at noon ET. Before then, everything can be seen at Bonhams New York, 111 West 57th Street, from 10 AM to 4:30 PM ET on October 2 and from October 5 through 7.
The highlight is lot 136, an H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer Tourbillon “Miami,†Ref. 3805-1202. Bonhams’ footnote explains that Moser made it with Bucherer as a limited edition of 28, and this one is number 1 of 28. It pairs a 40mm steel case and a blue fumé dial with pink accents and a one-minute flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock, driven by the automatic Caliber HMC 805 with its double hairspring and a minimum three-day power reserve.
It comes on a white rubber strap with a spare pair in pink, plus the full set of packaging, warranty card, manual, and swing tag, at an estimate of $50,000–70,000. Bonhams has also put up an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Mini Frosted Gold, Ref. 67630BA, from 2024, at the same $50,000–70,000 estimate. The timing is good: Audemars Piguet has just turned that finish into a jewelry collection.
Antiquorum brings the month to a close in a room. Its Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces sale in New York takes place on Sunday, October 18, at 11 AM, with 157 lots. The exhibition preview is at The Ned NoMad on October 16 and 17, after an earlier showing at Antiquorum’s Hong Kong office on October 7 and 8.
The sale ends on a run of independents. Nine F.P. Journe wristwatches are spread through the final lots, and the top three each carry a low estimate of $500,000 or more. Lot 156, a platinum Tourbillon Vertical from the Black Series dated 2022, is estimated at $800,000–1,400,000. Lot 155, a 2011 Centigraphe Souverain in platinum with a salmon dial, is estimated at $600,000–1,000,000. Lot 152, a Vagabondage II in 18k pink gold from a limited edition of 68, is estimated at $500,000–800,000.
The rest go from an early platinum Octa Calendrier (lot 157, $400,000–800,000) to titanium Elegante 48s (lots 131 and 150) and a 2024 Automatique Réserve lineSport (lot 149). With a silvered Centigraphe closing in Paris 11 days earlier, collectors get two looks at the same reference in one month, in different dials and on different sides of the Atlantic.
Earlier in the catalogue is lot 23, a 2017 Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5711/1R-001 in 18k pink gold, its brown dial signed Tiffany & Co. at 6 o’clock. Antiquorum calls that signature “a subtle but immediately significant detail for the collector,†and the watch comes with its outer Tiffany box, fitted box, and certificate of origin. It is estimated at $200,000–400,000.
Lot 153 is a Richard Mille RM 35-02 Rafael Nadal from 2017, a 50 by 44mm Carbon TPT tonneau. Antiquorum notes it was the first automatic model in the RM 035 family, and estimates it at $150,000–250,000. Daytona collectors will want lot 12, a 14k yellow gold Ref. 6241 from circa 1969 with a black dial double-signed Tiffany & Co., at $100,000–200,000.
Taken together, October’s calendar says more about the market than any single result will. Two vintage Ref. 6241 Daytonas, 10 F.P. Journe wristwatches, and a contemporary Moser are all coming to market in the same month, across online clocks and a Sunday-morning room. That is a market spreading its bets well before Geneva.
| Auction | Lot | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Sotheby’s Paris | 368 | Rolex Daytona “Paul Newman” Ref. 6241, steel, circa 1968; €120,000–260,000 |
| Bonhams New York | 136 | H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer Tourbillon “Miami,” no. 1 of 28; $50,000–70,000 |
| Antiquorum New York | 156 | F.P. Journe Tourbillon Vertical Black Series; $800,000–1,400,000 |
| Antiquorum New York | 23 | Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5711/1R-001, Tiffany & Co. dial; $200,000–400,000 |
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